Clearview North August 2014 - Issue 153 | Page 24

INDUSTRYNEWS Fuel cards: the truth - but not the whole truth? The Fuelcard People want to remind van users of the importance of verifying fuel card suppliers’ claims. Steve Clarke, group marketing manager, said: “Always remember the difference between truth and honesty. If a supplier tells you that it offers fixed weekly pricing, that might be true, but if it forgets to add that it also levies transaction charges, it is not being honest.” Failure to understand a supplier’s charging structure could be an expensive mistake. “You can usually expect any supplier to tell you the truth,” said Steve Clarke, “but it might not be telling you the whole truth, or nothing but the truth. Always check their claims and the small print.” The 2013 introduction of unexpected additional charges by some suppliers led to thousands of van users discovering ‘network fees’ and other transaction charges were buried within invoices, without explanation. Many switched suppliers. “A £2 charge may sound small,” said Steve, “but when you add £2 to each refuelling it soon adds up. We nev